Improvement in windmills



PATENT EEICE,

HENRY GLOVER, OF EAST DOUGLAS, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDMILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 29,074, dated July 10, 1860.

To au whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY GLovER, of East Douglas, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Windmills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a front view of the wind-sails. Fig. 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section taken through Fig.1, as indicated by the red line a: :c marked thereon, showing the mechanism by which the sails or shutters may be adjusted at any desirable angle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings, A represents a hollow pedestal or standard, up through which passes a spindle B, carrying on its top a spur bevelwheel C.

D is a horizontal frame for supporting the wind-sails, vane, and mechanism for operating the slats of the wind-sail. This frame D is connected to the pedestal A by a circular cap A', having an annular groove in its periphery, into which fits the clamp-plates a a, that allow the cap A', with the frame D, to which it is attached, to revolve around as the vane F is affected by the wind.

The bevel-wheel O engages with a similar wheel C', that is fitted to one end of a hollow horizontal shaft G, having suitable bearings in the frame D. Said shaft receives on its other end the hub of the wind-sails J J, which is keyed securely to it. These sails J J are composed of radial arms arranged around the hub in pairs and braced in the usual manner, transversely with which are placed and properly hinged a suitable number of slats or shutters, that overlap each other. The slats of each sail are jointed to a rod b, and springs c are introduced for keeping the slats in a closed state, so as to obtain the greatest benefit from the wind.

I-I is a solid shaft passing through the holloW shaft G and connecting with the rods b of each series of slats in the sails J by ropes or chains e e c, Fig. 1. The opposite end of this shaft Il has a disk-plate I fixed to it, which plate is punched with holes in its surface and near its circumference. This shaft also has attached to it a helical spring H', which is inclosed within the hollow shaft G, as shown in Fig. 2. One end of this spring acts against a shoulder inside the hollow shaft and a shoulder on the solid shaft, so that when the parts are released the solid shaft Will be thrown back to its original position, as will be hereinafter shown. The disk-plate I is acted upon by a similar plate I, that is fixed as represented in Fig. 2. The pins g, proj ecting from this plate, pass into the perforations in the plate I when the two plates are broughtinto con tactand couple the two plates together, which operation causes the chains c e e to wind up on the end of shaft II, which is thus fixed, and opens the slats of the windsails.

The disk l may be used without pins, if preferable, as the friction between the surfaces of disks I I will generally be sufiicicnt to cause the chains to be wound up.

K are arms that project out from a collar f, that is fixed to the shaft H just behind the plate I, the ends of which arms are kept in contact with the face of spur-wheel O and into depressions in said wheels surface by spring H', in consequence of which the shaft II is made to turn with the hollow shaft G.

The collar F is keyed to the shaft I-I and has an annular groove in it, in which is placed a yoke of aright-angular lever-arm M, Fig. 2, the object of which arm is to give a slight longitudinal movement to the shaft II sufficient to disengage it or the arms K from wheel C and to bring the disk-plate I into contact vwith plate I while the parts are allin motion, the effect of which will be to open the slats in the wind-sails J by checking the motion of shaft l'I, and thus allowing the chains to wind up on its end, as above described. The lever-arm M is actuated by a bent rod N, sliding collar P, working on spiudleshaft B, and a rod R, that connects with this collar P and leads down through the pedestal A to any convenient place.

Now, in order to set the slats of the Windsails at any desired angle to regulate the speed of the parts in a high or very high wind it is only necessary to pull on the rod R, when the Collar I), through which the spindle B turns loosely, will draw down the bent arln N, move the arm M in the direction of vane F, and clutch the plate I of shaft Il with the fixed plate I and disengage this shaft H from the hollow shaft G. The chains e of the slats are then Wound around the fixed shaft I-I until the slats are entirely open, when the Wind Will cease to have any effect on the parts and the mill will stop. In order to start it again, the rod R is relieved, when the spring H, in connection with the springs C, attached to the wind-sails, will return the parts to their former position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim ras new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement and Combination of the fixed disk I with the rotating horizontallysliding,r disk I, arms la, shafts G H, sails J, lever M, rod N, sliding collar P, and rod R, as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

HENRY GLOVER.

Witnesses:

1P. DANA, LEWIS STOCKWELL. 

